The House of Representatives has taken a significant step toward making voting compulsory for all eligible Nigerians, as a bill to amend the Electoral Act 2022 passed second reading on Thursday.
The bill, sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Rep. Daniel Ago, seeks to mandate voting for citizens of voting age in a bid to combat electoral apathy and boost civic participation.
While leading the debate on the bill, Rep. Ago emphasized the need to increase voter turnout, noting that widespread disinterest in elections could be curbed if voting were made a legal obligation.
However, the proposal met some resistance. Rep. Mark Esset of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing Akwa Ibom State, argued that compulsory voting alone would not resolve deeper issues within the electoral process.
“We must not place something on nothing,” Esset said.
“If citizens have lost trust in the system, simply making voting mandatory won’t fix it. Many Nigerians don’t vote because they believe their votes don’t count.
If we want to enforce voting, we must first ensure that every vote truly matters.”
The bill will now proceed to further legislative scrutiny.